10With a solemn Holy Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Our Lady of Bistrica, the Bishop Valentin Pozaić Days began on May 15, 2026, in Marija Bistrica, organized by the Croatian Catholic Medical Association (CroCMA).
May 15 marks the third anniversary of the passing of our long-time ecclesiastical assistant and co-founder of CroCMA, Monsignor Dr. Valentin Pozaić, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, also ecclesiastical assistant of the European Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (1996–2018). For this reason, members of CroCMA, together with family members and admirers of Bishop Pozaić, gathered at the Croatian National Shrine of Our Lady of Bistrica in prayerful remembrance of the late bishop.
For many years, CroCMA has also commemorated the International Day of Conscientious Objection on May 15 through a special program. Since Bishop Pozaić supported and promoted the right of healthcare professionals to conscientious objection, and frequently lectured and wrote on the subject, the CroCMA Executive Board decided that, beginning this year, the International Day of Conscientious Objection and the anniversary of Bishop Pozaić’s death would be jointly commemorated through an event titled Bishop Valentin Pozaić Day(s).
Through this initiative, the memory of our ecclesiastical assistant will be honored and preserved in a worthy manner. Marija Bistrica was selected as the host location not only because it is Bishop Pozaić’s home parish, but also because it was there, at the solemn 2021 Assembly marking the 30th anniversary of CroCMA, that Bishop Pozaić was proclaimed an honorary member of the Association.
The solemn Holy Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Bistrica was celebrated under the presidency of Msgr. Vlado Razum, Auxiliary Bishop of Zagreb. Among the concelebrants were Reverend Prof. Dr. Ivan Bodrožić, Dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Split and spiritual advisor to CroCMA; Fr. Sebastian Šujević, Provincial of the Croatian Province of the Society of Jesus; Rev. Tomica Šestak, Rector of the Shrine; Msgr. Stjepan Večković; together with other priests of the Archdiocese of Zagreb.
In his homily, Bishop Razum reflected both on the Gospel of the day and on the life and work of Bishop Pozaić, who devoted himself generously to the Society of Jesus, the Archdiocese of Zagreb, the Croatian Catholic Medical Association, and the European Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FEAMC), serving the latter for many years as ecclesiastical assistant.
The liturgical celebration was enriched by the singing of the Oratorio Choir of St. Mark’s Church in Zagreb, Cantores sancti Marci, accompanied on the organ by Marin Čargo.
Among those attending the Mass were invited lecturers participating in the International Symposium on Conscientious Objection held as part of the Bishop Valentin Pozaić Days. These included FEAMC Vice-President Prof. Dr. Jozef Glasa (Slovakia), Prof. Dr. Bogdan Chazan (Poland), Prof. Dr. Helena Glasová (Slovakia), Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Korać Graovac from the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb, and Slavica Janković, RN, President of the Croatian Catholic Association of Nurses and Medical Technicians.
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, Prof. Dr. Rok Čivljak, President of CroCMA and FEAMC, addressed the assembled faithful. He thanked the concelebrants and all participants for their prayerful communion in remembrance of the late Bishop Pozaić and gave thanks to Almighty God for the gift of Valentin Pozaić’s life and witness, which continue to inspire healthcare professionals morally and spiritually.
This weekend, members of CroCMA from all over Croatia will gather for the Bishop Valentin Pozaić Days and pilgrimage to Marija Bistrica, marking the 35th anniversary of the Society’s founding. CroCMA began its activities with the founding assembly held on February 16, 1991, at the Jesuit Monastery in in Zagreb.
Andrea Koščec, M.Pharm.
Secretary of CroCMA
